CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t acquire anyone on the waiver wire on Wednesday, but it isn’t for lack of trying.
Cincinnati put in a waiver claim on defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson according to MIke Garafolo of NFL Network.
The 49ers also claimed Jefferson and had a higher waiver priority (11) than the Bengals (17).
Nearly 86% (24 of 28) of the players that were claimed had a higher spot in the waiver order than the Bengals. Cincinnati was 17th in waiver priority.
Jefferson was picked in the fourth round (116th overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Bengals picked McKinnley Jackson 97th overall, 19 spots ahead of Jefferson.
Jefferson, 23, showed flashes of quality play as a rookie, finishing with a 62.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. He had 12 tackles and one sack in eight games.
The Bengals kept six defensive tackles on their initial 53-man roster: TJ Slaton, B.J. Hill, Kris Jenkins Jr., McKinnley Jackson, Howard Cross III and Eric Gregory.
One of those players could be cut on Thursday to make room for veteran guard Dalton Risner, who agreed to terms with the team on Wednesday afternoon.
The butterfly effect of the Jefferson waiver claim is quite interesting.
Who would’ve been the odd man out had that landed Jefferson? What would they have done in the offensive line room? Would they have still agreed to terms with Risner on Wednesday afternoon?
It’s unreasonable to think it would’ve kept them from signing Risner, but it would’ve probably caused them to make a move that didn’t involve one of their defensive tackles.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Bengals continue to look for help at defensive tackle, especially after missing on a player that they clearly wanted to add to their roster.
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